TOWNSEND
Townsend is like a peaceful mountain village where you'll see
horseback riders on the side of the road, children enjoying tubing
down the lazy Little River and Canadian geese in a parking lot.
Enjoy
a walk on the 3 mile bike/walking trail or play a round of golf.
In addition to recreational activities, Townsend offers many specialty
shops and is within a stone's throw of Sevierville, Pigeon Forge
and Gatlinburg where you'll discover Factory Outlet Mall shopping,
fine dining, music theater entertainment, rides and games for the
kids and the Dollywood theme park.
Townsend is located along the Little
River. A 9000 acre valley known as the "Peaceful Side of the Smokies" or "The
Heart of the Smokies, all synonyms for some of the most scenic
sections of the nation. Townsend is centrally located for a home
base for all your side trips. So there is no better place to start
your visit than at the Townsend entrance to the park on the "Peaceful
Side of the Smokies."
Townsend is one of the three main entrances
and the one located near two of the most scenic areas in the park,
one being the world Cades Cove which offers significant history and
world class scenery.
Cades Cove alone attracts more visits each year
than 44 of the 54 National Parks. Cades Cove is the best place to
view the wildlife around the 11 mile loop road and stop and see the
pioneer's cabins and churches of the era in history. It is a visit
that will remain with you during your lifetime. This mountain cove
consists of 6,853 acres preserved as a historic area within our national
park.
Townsend is situated right next to the national park, where
you'll find enough to beguile you for days on end, visit after visit.
The historic homes and mills of Cades Cove. Hiking trails and lodges.
Waterfalls and romantic secluded streams. And all the activities
that lend themselves naturally to such a setting. Golf, hiking,
biking and tubing. Watching birds, identifying wildflowers and
photographing wildlife, including deer and 400 black bears that
live in the park.
If you look for serenity, even isolation, you can
find it. Or if you wish the companionship of others nearby while
you explore our mountains, it's right there. Townsend offers a different
perspective, and places you within easy reach of all the activity
of Pigeon Forge, Dollywood, Sevierville and Gatlinburg. And within
a stone's throw you'll find special entertainment and attractions
like Tuckaleechee Caverns.
The Maryville/Alcoa area of Blount County
is a convenient home base for business travelers. Encompassing the
Knoxville airport and the Airport Accommodations Family of hotels,
motels and bed & breakfast
inns, this area is the perfect jumping-off point for business calls
in Oak Ridge, West Knoxville, downtown Knoxville and, of course,
Maryville and Alcoa.
Because of the area's four distinct seasons,
the only difficult thing about your journey to the Blount County
area and the Smokies will be deciding on your favorite season to
visit. Heck, just come four times a year or anytime you feel like
it! The fall foliage season offers brilliant color, and the vivid
and memorable fragrance of crisp autumn leaves in the clear mountain
air. The quiet of winter will bring out the adventurer in you. Exploring
snowy trails. The hush magnifying even the smallest sounds in the
forest. Warming by cozy fires in the evening. Spring brings a fresh
green so clear and alive you can almost hear the earth laboring to
awaken, throwing blooms and buds onto every limb and branch. And
nowhere on earth is summer more soothing and mesmerizing than in
the cool shade of the Smokies. The splashing of creeks and streams
accompanied by tree frogs, crickets and owls creates a master symphony.
We
are a quiet little group of communities with our own easy, less-traveled
access (via Townsend) to the national park and all that it holds.
Our accommodations are first-rate. Charming mountain B&Bs, cabins
and cottages. Well-known hotels and motels. Campgrounds and developed
camp-sites. Excellent dining and shopping are nearby. And we're less
than 30 minutes from the Knoxville airport -- one of the few places
in the US where a pristine wilderness area is close to a metropolitan
airport. On the peaceful side of the Smokies. Just bring your spirit
of adventure. Your heart will follow.